Nail-driving machine



J. J. STEPANEK NAIL DRIVINQ MACHINE Filed Feb. 7. 1 924 it Sheets-Sheetl Patented Nov. 4:, i924.

JOSEPH J1 STEPANEH; 01E TABQE, SUYUTH DAKOTA.

NAIL-DRIVING EEACI'IINE.

Application filed February 7, 1924; Serial No. 691,311.

lowin to be a full clear and exact descri a 7 tion of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to nail driving machines and'it has for itsobject to provide aneutremely cheap and simple apparatus that will holda maximum number of nails to'be successively driven, the feeding of thenails to the driving plunger being effected and controlled by a fingerof the same hand of the operator that manipulates the apparatus.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view ofthe machine.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the driving plunger and itscasing, the feed slide and its mounting being also shown.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the feed member.

Figure 5 is a transverse section on line 55 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings there is shown at the body of the machine,which may be made of metal or any other desired material and at the rearend of which is the vertical handle 11 that provides for carrying themachine about and for manipulating it in use. The upper por ion of thebody is en larged and is provided with a magazine 12 at its top, toreceive the nails. The bottom of the magazine is provided with aplurality of parallel slots 13 into which depend the nails, whose headsare within the magazine. Guide ways 14, with which the slotscommunicate, extend from the magazine forwardly of the machine and lead,through the medium of connecting passages, to the main guide way orpassage 15 which extends forwardly and downwardly to the feeding machineto be presently described. The guide ways, exterior to the hopper, areprovided with cover plates 17, that are mutually connected as a matterof strength, and are connected to the front of the hopper.

The forward end of the body has mount ed on its tubularcasingls'which-extends from the bottom face of the body to a pointconsiderably thereabove and this casing is slit longitudinally from nearits upper-end, through its bottom end, the slit communicatingwith themain guide way 15 so that' the nails'as the I pass down this guide waywill be successively precipitated from it into the guide way, with theirpointed ends downwardly.

iVithin the casing 18 is-sli'dably mounted a driving plunger 19, havingan enlarged read 20- at its upper end. A helical spring 21 upon thisplunger andbearingwith its ends against the top, ofthe-casing1and theunder side of the head, holds the plunger.

yieldably raisedand returns it when released after depression. Upwardmovement of the plunger is limited by the pin 22 that is passeddiametrically through it and the ends of which play in the oppositeslots 22 of'thecasing.

Th helical spring; holds the plungeinn0r=- mally in such position, thatthe nails may successively pass into the casing beneath the plunger,after which, a blow upon the top of the plunger head, serves to forcethe plunger downwardly against the nail and to drive the latter home.

To feed the nails successively from the main guide way 15 into thecasing 18, a table is provided comprising the guide arms 25 and 26 thatextend oppositely from the forward end of the body and which overlap thecasing 18. The longitudinal edges of these guide arms are folded uponthemselves, as illustrated and slidably engaged beneath theseover-folded portions of the guide arms, are the plates 27 and 28 thatare provided with fingers 29 and 30 respectively that are directedtoward each other, the two plates 27 and 28 being connected together byan arch plate 31, as illustrated.

The finger 30 is of greater width than the finger 29 and its free end isbeveled so that its longitudinal edge that lies in the direction of thecasing, is shorter than its rear longitudinal edge. The finger 29 hasits front longitudinal edge set slightly rearwardly of that of thefinger 30. When these two plates are reciprocated on the guide arms,thebeveled face of the finger 30 engages the lowermost nail which atthat time is in position against the rear edge of the finger 29, thepoint of the finger 30 having entered behind the nail. Then as theplates move laterally, the bevel face presses against the rear of thenail and urges it through the slot between it and the finger 29. Thefree end of the finger 29 is rounded, as illustrated and on the returnmovement of the plates, this rounded end takes behind the nail andcompletes its movement so that it is precipitated from the main guideway 15 into the casing 18. The next nail then passes by gravity intoposition against the finger 29.

These feed plates with their fingers are held normally and yieldablywith the finger 30 retracted, by means of a helical spring 33 that isattached to the plate 27 and to the side of the body of the apparatus,the feed mechanism being moved against the tension of this spring bymeans of a rock lever 34 that is pivoted on the side of the forward endof the body and has one end engaged with a leg of the arch plate 31. Arod 35 passed slidably through the body of the apparatus, has its endturned upwardly as shown at 36, in close proximity to the handle of theapparatus so that while the right hand of the operator is employed inmanipulating a hammer upon the head of the driving plunger, a finger ofthe left hand, with which the apparatus is manipulated, may actuate therod and therewith the feeding mechanism.

It is found in practice that the apparatus is entirely eflicient, themanual feed control avoids jamming and that the cost of manufacture islow, because of the simplicity of the apparatus.

hat is claimed is:

A nail driving apparatus comprising a magazine, a guide way, a casingwith which the guide Way communicates, a driving plunger disposed in thecasing, means for holding the plunger normally and yieldably above theguide way, guide arms, feed plates slidably mounted upon the guide armsand having fingers disposed toward each other and arranged toalternately overlie the guide way when the plates are reciprocated, anarch plate connecting the feed plates, a rock lever engaged with thearch plates for reciprocating the feed plates, a handle for manipulatingthe apparatus, and an actuating rod connected with the rock lever andhaving a finger grip disposed in proximity to the handle.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH J. STEPAN EK. \Vitnesses (lens. 0. STEPANEK, Jos. G. VAITH.

